NCJ Number
144943
Journal
Security Management Volume: 37 Issue: 9 Dated: (September 1993) Pages: 48,51,53,55
Date Published
1993
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article provides an overview of the security forces of selected institutions in Washington, DC.
Abstract
The security chiefs of the Metro system, the Stouffer Mayflower Hotel, the Watergate Hotel, the U.S. Capitol, and the World Bank relate some of their experiences and policy descriptions. Metro security has a zero-tolerance policy toward minor violations such as smoking, eating, and drinking. The force includes plain clothes undercover officers, who ride aboard the trains and buses, and a leading expert on pickpockets. Applicants must undergo 27 weeks of training to become officers, then 10 weeks of further training under supervision of experienced officers. The Stouffer Mayflower and Watergate Hotels, both of which host many VIP's, utilize technology as well as manpower; the Watergate has doubled its number of surveillance cameras since the infamous 1972 scandal that caused President Nixon's eventual resignation. The 1,239-member Capitol force is supplemented by an antiterrorist unit, a tactical containment and emergency response team, a civil disturbance unit, an electronic countermeasures unit, and a bike patrol. Officers, in addition to normal security training, must study the history of the U.S. Capitol and Congress. The security force at the World Bank uses but deemphasizes technology, as the primary challenge is to balance access control with multicultural sensitivity.